Remarks prepared for delivery by Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard Raymond to present the 2006 Howard E. Bauman Award on September 27, 2006, in Denver, Colorado.

Good afternoon everyone. I'd like to thank you for joining us today as we recognize an extraordinary leader who has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to improving food safety.

This award is named for Dr. Howard E. Bauman, who is widely recognized for his pioneering efforts at the Pillsbury Company to develop the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point food safety system — or HACCP as we normally refer to it.

HACCP is the backbone of the inspections and verifications performed by FSIS personnel every day in approximately 6,000 federal meat and poultry establishments across the United States. It has laid the foundation for the successes we're seeing today, such as decreasing rates of foodborne illnesses and lower prevalence of pathogens in our regulatory sampling program.

I say normally refer to it now, but there was a time when I wasn't so familiar with the concept. While I was doing my research I noticed that there were a few names that kept popping up over and over again. One of those names of course belonged to the man we are honoring today. A simple search on Google lists his name in conjunction with HACCP more than 260 times.

In order for HACCP to be fully effective, it must not only be flexible and based on sound science, but it must evolve as new discoveries are made. I find it fitting that today's award recipient, Dr. R. Bruce Tompkin, also exemplifies these characteristics.

After obtaining his Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 1963, Dr. Tompkin spent his entire 40-year career at what is now known as ConAgra Foods. He began as a research microbiologist at Swift and Company in 1963 and retired as vice president of product safety in 2002.

During that time, Dr. Tompkin conducted research on the control of significant microbiological hazards in meat and poultry products, including Clostridium botulinum, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.

His work on Salmonella control in the 1970s helped shape sampling protocols, methodology and controls still used today. He's also been a leader in the development of effective Listeria monocytogenes control strategies in meat and poultry plants based on research conducted in ConAgra plants.

In the food production arena, Dr. Tompkin was an early proponent of the use of HACCP, beginning with HACCP for the control of Salmonella in the mid 1980s. In addition to helping implement HACCP at ConAgra long before it was mandated by USDA, he delivered presentations on the application of HACCP to control meat and poultry hazards at numerous meetings throughout the United States and in Europe. He also developed model HACCP plans for beef franks and other products.

He's presented testimony at numerous USDA public meetings, including the FSIS meeting on performance standards for ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry.

When E. coli O157:H7 caused an outbreak in sausages, Dr. Tompkin was a leading participant in an industry and FSIS joint effort to develop appropriate controls to address the hazard.

As Under Secretary for Food Safety and a medical doctor, I firmly believe this is the type of approach we all need to embrace in order to improve public health.

Dr. Tompkin has a common sense, practical approach to food safety management that facilitates implementation. Anyone can do research in a sterile lab, but making those laboratory innovations applicable to consumers is what saves lives.

His approaches to controlling Listeria monocytogenes, on which he has lectured extensively, have been widely applied, not only by the meat industry but also by manufacturers of other RTE products that could be susceptible to contamination by the pathogen.

He has shared his expertise, skills and knowledge with many people around the world through over 160 publications and presentations. He also actively participated on over 70 technical committees and panels, many of which he chaired.

Dr. Tompkin has also served on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods, including subcommittees on HACCP, the role of regulatory agencies and industry in HACCP, Listeria monocytogenes, performance standards for meat and poultry, and safety-based date labeling.

Some of his most significant contributions derived from his membership on the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF), which is comprised of a number of the world's leading microbiologists and food safety experts.

As part of ICMSF, Dr. Tompkin collaborated on, and in several instances chaired, the editorial committee for food safety books, including The Microbial Ecology of Foods, HACCP, Microbiological Specifications of Foodborne Pathogens and Microbiological Testing in Food Safety Management.

Even in retirement, Dr. Tompkin continues his efforts to reduce the public health impact of Listeria monocytogenes through consulting. His work to educate industry has resulted in safer manufacturing practices, which has helped to prevent illness and outbreaks.

Something I really admire about Dr. Tompkin, is that he is a consensus builder, as was Dr. Bauman. His contributions benefited ConAgra, his peers, the food industry, regulatory agencies such as FSIS, and most importantly, consumers. The world's food supply is safer because of Dr. Tompkin's efforts.

He exemplifies an important truth — that we can do more together than we could ever hope to do alone. As we take this time to reflect on Dr. Tompkin's many accomplishments, let's show our appreciation for his leadership and commitment to food safety.

Please join me in a round of applause as we present the fourth annual Howard E. Bauman Award for Food Safety to Dr. Bruce Tompkin.